And Then There Were 3

by Abby on July 21, 2015

Three is not the magic number. There’s a reason that being the “third wheel” is not a good thing. Three people means there’s always an odd man out, nothing is ever even or equal. And yet that’s my two boys and me all summer: the 3 Musketeers. Only with fewer mustaches and squirt guns instead of muskets.

I didn’t think it through, you see. I didn’t consider the implications of going from 6 hours a day apart at school to both my kids being together 24/7 at home. Even at camp, the sitter’s, or the pool, they’re together. Too much togetherness. And, lucky me, I am usually in the middle of it.

This song popped into my head recently, a song I sang and tap-danced to with my best friend when I was 8 or 9:

Together (Wherever We Go)

Wherever we go, whatever we do,

We’re gonna go through it together.

We may not go far, but sure as a star,

Wherever we are, it’s together.

When Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli sing it, it’s cute:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E60W9FWAk5E

In my current situation, though, it takes on a more ominous note:

Wherever I go I know he goes.

Wherever I go I know [he] goes.

No fits, no fights, no feuds [HA! YEAH, RIGHT.]

And no egos, Amigos, together!

MY Amigos like to beat the heck out of each other with couch cushions. They fight over whose turn it is to play with that one toy that neither showed a whiff of interest in till the other one wanted it, and feud over whose turn it is to pick a TV show to watch – together.

I thought I would lose my ever-lovin’ mind the day I dragged their combative butts to the pool – a big, huge, spread-out place where they could each have their own 6-ft. radius to themselves – and yet they still ended up on top of each other in the water, wrestling over the same inflatable pool toy. (BTW, we brought 2.)

Through thick and through thin,

All out or all in. [ALL OUT OF PRETZELS AND ALL IN EACH OTHER’S FACES]

And whether it’s win, place or show. [*MY* SHOW! HE PICKED LAST TIME!!]

With you for me and me for you, [AS IF! IT’S EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF]

We’ll muddle through whatever we do. [LIKE MUD WRESTLING OVER THE HOSE]

Selfishly, I was so happy to read this! One of my recent FB statuses said that we caught the boys in a rare moment of pretend (as opposed to “let’s kick the crap out of each other.”) side note: their scenario for pretend was “let’s order dinner!” Ha! I digress. Just relieved to know I’m not alone. Now that I’m a parent I have a great deal more support for the idea of year-round schools.